Sherry Insley of Dandelion Blu’s got a knack for divining the special qualities in everyday things and then turning them into precious adornments for your neck. Look out for her “Lace Collar” series at the Crafty Bastards festival this month! She’s added new colors since the last showing.

1. Is there a specific product that you will be selling at the fair that you would like to talk about?

I am re-introducing my “Lace Collar” series in different colors at Crafty D.C. I had a few at the Silver Spring show in light pink and light blue. I added white, black and a lovely light violet. They are enamel on copper with either silver or gun metal chains.

2. Does this product have an origin story? Did the idea come to you in a dream or through a portal or other strange way?

I have been working with lace but in a different application. Previously, I was using pieces of lace to screen the powdered glass through, resulting in a flat image of lace. One day while working in my studio I thought “why not try using the lace as a stencil, cut the copper out by hand and then enamel it- That won’t be time consuming!” I was picturing those crazy lace collars that ladies (and gents) wore in the Renaissance- with a modern twist. After several tries, a trip to the Dr. for a tetanus shot, and many misses, I got the right shape.

3. What famous personality (alive or dead, real or imagined) would most likely be found wearing/holding/admiring this product? Why?

Hmmmm, someone sort of girly but likes an edge, since it’s glass on metal. Maybe someone historical since the lace I used as the template was vintage. Marie Antoinette? She definitely was girly and liked her jewelry.

4. Convince me that this piece should be one of only 3 things I could take with me to a deserted island!

Well, you want to look good for your rescue, no? And if all else fails you could probably use the reflective qualities to start a small fire with, or signal passing planes. Bartering with natives????

From now until the fair, we’ll be spotlighting awesome items that you will find at this year’s Crafty Bastards. Check out the complete vendor gallery to plan your shopping!

Steve Strawn has a story to tell. It is a fascinatingly beautiful tale of robots kicking the crap out of us. Since he is the world’s only photojournalist war correspondent sending back photos from Great Robot War, I was lucky to get the chance to ask him a few questions about his photography. Here we go:

Question: How long does it usually take to set up a scene for your photos?

Answer: It can take from minutes to days, depending on the inspiration, complexity, and the amount of stuff needing to be blown up. In particular, if something is to be destroyed, the setup needs to be much more meticulous, because the ligthing needs to be exact.

Question: Are you constantly searching for new toys to use?

Answer: All the time. My wife is convinced it is an excuse to just go ahead and buy more toys. It kind of is.

Question: Your robots are very simple, unlike most toys in stores today, where do you get them?

Answer: They are from Stikfas, who makes these wonderfully unbranded and incredibly articulated toys. They are not Power Rangers, they are not Transformers, they are some ambiguous robot from another world who is perfectly posable.

Question: Do you build/make any of the items in your photos?

Answer: I am starting to build more of my figures. There’s a lot that goes into my shoots that is hand-built, and a lot that is store bought. I do want to get away from the store-bougth stuff more for creative and lawsuit reasons, though.

Question: Do you have a true fear of the kinds of attacks that you are creating in your photos? Are they therapy? (That question isn’t meant to be rude, most of what I make is about zombies, even though I am not afraid of zombies. I am really afraid of sharks and seamonsters, actually!)

Answer: Robot invasion scares the shit out of me. Zombies are scarier because they were once people, and now they are something else, and for some reason that is far more terrifying than an automaton that’s here to tear us up. That being said, a zombie can only do so much damage, a robot can blow shit up hard, and really wreck things badly. And yes, it is therapy.

You can pick up some of Steve’s work at Crafty Bastards on September 28th at the Marie Reed Learning Center, 2200 Champlain St NW, Washington, District of Columbia, DC. Check out more of Steve photos at www.splutphoto.com

Tina Seamonster blogs her life and craft at I Like Seamonsters.com. Her biggest fear is men with shark heads. What the hell does that mean?

Applications for CRAFTLAND are due August 31st!

CRAFTLAND is a holiday craft show in a unique consignment store format in downtown Providence, RI. CRAFTLAND 2008 will be open seven days a week, from December 5-24th. Now in its 7th year, CRAFTLAND has grown to feature the work of over 150 artists from around the US and other faraway lands. Artists do not need to be present to sell their work at CRAFTLAND, but those that volunteer 12 or more hours are rewarded with a 70% retail cut (while artists who do not live in the area or who are not able to volunteer receive a generous 60%). CRAFTLAND also donates 5% of proceeds to area arts-related non-profits to help continue in its mission to provide and enable economic opportunities for emerging and professional artists and crafters.

Apply online today!

For frequently asked questions about applying to Craftland, please visit http://craftlandshow.com/faq.html.

To see a listing of last year’s artists, check out http://www.craftlandshow.com/artists.html.